Control for mechanisms



1956 c. H. WlTT CONTROL FOR MECHANISMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22, 1952 I N V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1956 c. H. WITT 2,769,532

CONTROL FOR MECHANISMS Filed July 22, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,769,532 CONTROL FOR MECHANISMS Charlie H. Witt, Fort Worth, Tex. Application July 22, 1952, Serial No. 300,271 Claims. (Cl. 198232) This invention relates to mechanism control devices, and it has particular reference to a control or monitor for bottling and capping machines for beverages, especially soft drinks, wherein the bottles are automatically conveyed along a path .to be filled with the beverage, and capped or crowned to insure proper sealing, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a mechanism. by which the capping mechanism can be closely supervised or monitored to insure the proper capping or sealing of each individual bottle as it is brought in alignment with the crown or cap to be applied thereto.

A prime object of the invention is that of providing a device which is operatively associated with the cap or crown distributing mechanism of the bottling machine so as to he in contact with each crown, after the same has been delivered to the distributing mechanism, and connected into the control system of the entire machine so that the same can be stopped when a crown or cap does not occur in its sequence in the distributing mechanism.

An important object of the invention resides in the provision of a device which will cause the entire bottling machine to stop when the capping device does not function to apply a crown to a bottle which has been brought into alignment with the crown applicable thereto, and thu obviate the necessity for reprocessing or discarding the contents of a possible number of uncapped bottles.

Broadly, the invention contemplates the provision of a simple and inexpensive device by which substantial savings in time and materials can be accomplished automatically, thus reducing the cost of personal supervision of the machines and minimizing the errors and imperfections of human agency.

While the foregoing objects are paramount, other and lesser objects will become manifest as the description proceeds, taken in connection with the appended drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective illustration of the invention as applied to a crown or cap distributing device of conventional design, and shown in broken lines, and showing the invention operatively connected to a control valve, also shown in broken lines.

Figure 2 illustrates the invention in plan as operated against the crown rests or receptacles in a crown carriage, shown in broken lines.

Figure 3 is another plan view of the invention showing its position in stopping the machine when a crown does not occur in one of the receptacles, the latter being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the invention showing the tensioned arm and disk and the position of the arm to restrain the stopping mechanism.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the invention in position to restrain the stopping mechanism, and

Figure 6 fragmentarily illustrates, in elevation, the invention in its position to restrain the stopping mechanism.

The invention is designed for installation on a conventional bottling machine of the type which embodies a reservoir for bottle crowns or caps which are cork lined and are peripherally crimped about the head of the bottle when applied, a crown which is well known to the bottling art, and distriuted on a circular rotating table or carriage having a peripheral arrangement of receptacles into which the crowns are deposited from the reservoir through a vchute.

2,769,532 Patented Nov. 6, 195.6

The device is designed to operate on machines of the character described which are controlled by air, and valves are installed throughout the mechanism to interrupt. its operation when any production sequence is disrupted, as by failure of the bottle filling or capping apparatus. Such mechanisms are conventional, as referred to in Patent No. 2,616,541, dated November 4, 1952, and are well known to the art.

Accordingly, the invention comprises a supporting bracket 10 which consists of a casting formed with a cylindrical portion 11 on one end bored to embrace a supporting rod 12 whose'upper end is received in a bracket 13 secured to one side of the crown or cap hopper 14 of a bottling mechanism (not shown). The hopper 14 is shown in broken lines in Figure 1 and includes a crown dispensing chute 15 .and a rotary crown carriage 16 therebeneath which has a series of peripheral crown receptacles or rests 17 therein for conventional crowns 18. The invention concerns only the crown carriage 16 and the crown receptacles 17 although these elements form no part thereof.

The bracket 1% has a plate 19 formed therewith which extends at an angle therefrom and an arm 20 which projects at right angles from the plate 19 and is bent at a so that a portion 21 extends in a plane slightly angular with respect to the axis of the plate 19, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. A lever 22 is pivotally secured to the plate 19 rearwardly from the arm Zil thereof and extends outwardly substantially in the same horizontal plane with the portion 21 of the arm 20 and has a disk 23 rotatably mounted on its outer end.

The control mechanism for the bottling machine, as previously stated, is actuated by air and a plurality of valves are connected into the system whereby a variety of operations can be performed, such as stopping mechanism when some portion thereof fails to properly function. One of such valves 24 is arranged on the crown distributing mechanism, shown in Figure 1, and is mounted on a vertical plate 25 which is integral with and depends from the bracket 10. The valve is of conventional design and has a stem 26 which functions to actuate the valve to control the passage of air through the inlet and outlet passages 27 and 28 which connect the air reservoir with the controlling mechanism, such as an electric switch, or the like, not shown or forming a part of this invention.

An actuating rod 29 is slidably arranged in an aperture in the bracket 10 and has a head 34} thereon through which is arranged a pin 31 by which the member 30 and the rod 29 can be actuated. The valve 24 is closed when the stem 26 is raised and therefore permits the controlled mechanism to operate, but as soon as the stem 26 is depressed to open position the controlled mechanism is stopped. The invention, of course, concerns the control of the cap or crown distributing mechanism hereinbefore described and partially illustrated in Figure 1. Normally, therefore, the stem 26 of the valve 24 will remain in its open position under the tension of a compression spring 32 on the rod 29 which bears against a disk 33, integral with its lower end, and the underside of the plate 10 at its upper end, as is apparent in Figures 1 and 5.

A dog 34 is operatively arranged on the plate 19 and pivoted on a stud 35, which also provides the pivot for the lever 22, which is threaded into the plate 19. The dog 34 overlies the lever 22 and has a portion 36 formed therewith which extends inwardly to normally support the head 30 of the rod 29 against the tension of the spring 32 thereon, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, to retain the valve 24 in closed position and permit the mechanism to operate. The dog 34 has a lug 37 integral therewith, but spaced downwardly by a web 38, and projects beneath the plate 19 rearwardly from'the pivot stud 35, as shown in Figure 6, and functions to retain the dog 34 in its operating position and aid in retaining the lever 22 against the plate 19 V The web 38 has an integral lug 39 formed therewith which projects outwardly and provides means for securing a bracket 40 thereto against which one end of a compression spring 41 bears while its opposite endengages a complementary member 42 attached to the arm 20, urging the latter forwardly and consequently urging the lever 22inwardly so that its disk 23 is in constant contact with the crown carriage 16 and its receptacles 17, or the crowns 18 therein. The'portion 21 of the arm 20 is formed, on its outer end, with a circular member 43 providing a bearing surface for one' end of a compression spring 44 whose opposite end bears against an integral circular plate 45 on the outer end of the lever 22 beneath the disk 23.

The dog 34 has a lug 46 formed thereon which projects above and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lever 22, as shown in Figure 4, and has a screw or stud 47 threaded therethrough so that its inner end will engage a corresponding lug 48 on the lever 22,1a lock nut 49 being threaded on the screw 47 for fixing the same in adjusted positions to limit the movement of the lever 22 toward I the carriage 16 without moving the dog 34, against the tension of the spring 41, sufiiciently to dislodge the portion 36 thereof from beneath the head 30 permitting the latter to descend to open the valve 24, a constant pressure being applied to the lever 22 by the spring 41 and to the arm 24) by the spring 44. a

The disk 23 may be of any suitable material, but it is desirable that its outer periphery, at least, be of some yieldable material such as rubber, neoprene, or the like.

position to hold the valve 24 closed to operate the carriage 16 independently of the invention, or while the latter is repaired, by rotating the head 30 so that the pin 31 therethrough will rest, a one end, upon the horizontal portion 52. While in the position shown in Figures 4 and 5 the rod 26 retains the valve closed, the member 36 supporting the head 30 to retain thevalve 24 in closed position permitting the crown carriage 16 to operate.

In' operation, therefore, the head 30 is rotated to permit one end of the pin 31 therethrough to bear upon the inclined surface 51 of the plate 25, as shown in Figures 1,

'2, 3, 4 'andS, and thus be supported on the tip of the 7 member 36. The position of the lever 22 will remain as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4 until a crown receptacle 17 occurs without a crown 18 therein whereupon the disk 23 .will enter the empty receptacle, in the manner shown in Figure 3, and cause the lever '22 to move inwardly toward the carriage 16 sufficiently to actuate the dog 34 and move the member 36 thereof from beneath the head 36 allowing this member to descend under the tension of the spring 32 to open the valve 24 to stop the carriage 16 and the entire bottling mechanism.

By reference to Figure 2 it will be observedthat the lever 22, and consequently the dog 34, moves only slightly in and out while the disk 23 engages the crowns 18 in the carriage 16, but a maximum movement toward having a crown carriage and an automatic stopping mechanism therefor, in combination with an air valve for said stopping mechanism having a stem and connected in an air line, a mounting bracket supporting said valve, 2. tensioned actuating rod engageable with said stern in axial alignment therewith, a yieldable arm pivoted at its inner end to said mounting bracket and having a disk rotatively supported on its opposite end, the said disk being adapted to engage a series of bottle crowns in said crowning machine, and means forming a portion of the inner end of said arm restraining said valve actuating rod.

therein in operative sequence, and an automatic stopping mechanism therefor in combination with a control valve for said automatic stopping mechanism, a mounting bracket for said valve, a tensioned actuating rod for said valve on said bracket, a tensioned arm pivoted to said bracket and having a disk pivoted to'its outer end engaging said series of crowns and, normally restrained thereby, and means on the inner end of said arm restraining said rod in inoperative position to be released on the occurrence of an interruption in said series of crowns.

3. in a monitor device for bottling machines operating in cooperation with a rotary crown distributing mechanism having a carriage and a series of crown rests thereon, each having a crown therein and anautomatic stop mechanism, in combination, a control valve for said mechanism, a tensioned arm supported on said crown distributing mechanism having a disk pivoted thereon engageable with a crown in each of'said crown rests, a tensioned rod for actuating said valve, means on said arm having operative contact with said rod to restrain the same whereby to releasesaid rod and actuate said valve to stop the said distributing mechanism when one of said crown rests has no crown therein.

4. in a crown monitor for bottling machines cooperating with a rotating crown carriage having a series of crown receptacles thereon, each carrying a crown, and

means for feeding crowns to said receptacles, and an automatic stopping mechanism therefor, in combination, a valve having a stem providing means for actuating said stopping mechanism, a tensioned arm supported on said crown feeding means, a disk pivoted on said arm operatively engaging a crown'in each of said crownre'ceptacles as said carriage is rotated, a tensioned rod adapted to engage said stem to actuate said'valve, the said arm having means on its inner end normally restraining the said rod and adapted to release the same when oneof outer end and engaging a series of crowns in said distributing device and said crown rests, means on said arm normally restraining said actuating rod, the said am being capable of releasing said actuating rod to stop said machine when said disk enters one of said crown rests in the absence of a crown therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,083,768 Stone Ian. 6, 1914 7 ,917,025 'Gaynor July 4, 1933 ,032,048 Everett lune 1, 1937 2,198,225 Newey Apr. 23, 1940 ,888 Stewart "June 20, 1944 2,61 ,541 Smith NOV. 4, 1951 

